Hope Dallas
From: Brenda Broughton
Attention: The Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change The Honourable Hunter Tootoo, Minister of Fisheries The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport The Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence The Honourable Stephane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety
Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ministers,
This matter is of significant importance to the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Fisheries, the Minister of Transport the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Foreign Affairs with regard to COP21 and the Minister of Public Safety, therefore I request serious review of the letter that follows by each of the Ministers.
The announcement on Friday, March 18th, 2016 by The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change providing the environmental go forward to Woodfibre LNG, is of serious concern. Also, the Conditions that are provided by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, appear to lack specific and measurable criteria thus possibly compromising their application and enforcement. http://ceaa.gc.ca/050/document‐eng.cfm?document=109540 .
1. Harm to herring spawn; the fact that Woodfibre will represent 7% of BC’s GHG emissions targets in 2050; and that the cooling intake system, already banned in California and elsewhere, 17,000 cubic metres per hour of warmed water will warm the waters of Howe Sound with output by the herring spawn; are points outlined in the article link below. This information has been well documented and submitted to both the BCEAO and CEAA process over the last two years. The concern is that the depth of consideration that staff may be providing may have been junior and/or perhaps involving with the proponent.
The mapping in the article attached and photos of the herring spawn are excellent in illuminating the real and serious concerns. Please click on the link for review.
1 http://theecoreport.com/mckenna‐made‐the‐wrong‐call‐on‐woodfibre‐lng/
2. The potential for serious risk to our urban population from LNG Supertanker Shipping is real. Please review the Howe Sound Bathymetry Map. Please open and review the narrow channels, understanding that there is population at risk on both sides of Howe Sound.
Only last week, on March 9th, in Seattle, Washington, a gas leak blew up what appears to be a city block damaging 36 businesses and injuring 9 Fire Fighters. The impact of an explosion of a 1000’ LNG Supertanker is almost unimaginable and falls to both the Ministers of Transport and Defence for review, as it creates a potential and real shipping transport and terrorist threat to an important urban centre in BC. Seattle gas explosion March 9th, with 9 Firefighters injured
The threat of wind/weather events running the ship aground is real. The SIGTTO (International Supertanker Shipping Standards) states that when siting an LNG plant one must always think worst case scenario and never choose to site a plant in a narrow waterway with population centres along the shoreline and busy commercial and recreational marine traffic. Howe Sound is the southern most fjord in North America. The shipping route leads through narrow channels past inhabited islands and the City of Vancouver, a major port and population centre.
The Sandia National Labs hazard zones placed on the Howe Sound map have been confirmed by Sandia as accurate and therefore placing West Vancouver, Bowen Island and Lions Bay at serious risk.
This proposed shipping lane would not be allowed in the United States. We must not allow unacceptable safety standards here.
3. Meeting our COP21 targets begins today and everyday with pragmatical decisions, that represent ‘Real Change’ by really changing direction.
4. The people of Howe Sound have worked for decades on the environmental clean‐up of Howe Sound, giving birth to the amazingly healthy Howe Sound with dolphins, harbour seals, whales, and now salmon. The herring spawn is a significant attractant. Clean up accomplishments include : A) Clean up of the Britannia Mine Jane Basin with Federal funding. This area was the largest point source of pollution in North America, creating a ‘dead sea’ that is now coming to life; B) Prevention of bleach dumping at Port Mellon, now called Howe Sound Pulp and Paper and overhaul technological change leading to pollution reduction~removal of odour; C) Stream Keepers wrapping the creosote pilings so that herring could spawn again; D) Following decades of complete loss of salmon and closure of the Vancouver Fishing Derby in Howe Sound about circa the 1970’s, there is salmon again in Howe Sound including about 300,000 pink salmon being caught in circa 2013/2014. E) Closure of Woodfibre Pulp and Paper, has resulted in a return to health of the ecosystem and herring spawn in Howe Sound at Woodfibre. F) Howe Sound Divers, obtained Underwater Park status in Helkett Bay for historically old Glass Sea Sponges, and now find Glass Sea Sponges in many locations throughout Howe Sound. G) The Howe Sound Community Forum of Elected Officials and the Squamish First Nation, led to the signing of the Priniciples For Cooperation you may wish to Review, signed in 2002 and revised and signed in 2014. Please see attachment ‘Howe Sound Signed Principles for Cooperation’, a guiding document for Howe Sound’s planning.
5. Howe Sound is precious…it is not a port or harbour, but a sanctuary that attracts the World. If you have not been along the Sea to Sky Corridor Highway [the number 1 Scenic Highway in the World], I implore you to do so.
2 It is profoundly wrong to provide the go ahead for Woodfibre LNG.
My hope is that the Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Fisheries and the Minister of Defence, will provide the appropriate review of this project and in doing so will understand that it must Not proceed.
LNG is a class A Hazard industry proposed for the wrong location. It is irresponsible to process, store and transport such highly hazardous materials so close to a highly inhabited area.
I urge you to reconsider and responsibly Say NO to Woodfibre LNG as this project is both dangerous and destructive to Howe Sound water ecosystem and surrounding population.
Of the 1,300 CEAA Comments that include, 100 Speakers at the Public Meetings, plus a Petition of Opposition with 8,600 signatures, resulting in about 10,000 Feedback responses received, the comments are overwhelming with 99% OPPOSED to Woodfibre LNG [9,800 Opposed responses], and 1% in Support [90 Support responses] .
The CEAA noted that the Prime Minister’s comment that, " Governments grant permits, communities grant permission”. The Howe Sound community overwhelmingly did not grant permission. Last evening, I have reviewed each of the CEAA individual submissions listed on the CEAA website, about 11 responses were requests for time extension, funding or additions to the EA process. The comments of opposition were substantive, science based and provided significant rationale to not proceed. The people who are opposed are bright, thoughtful, research oriented, and thus knowledgeable.
The apparent failure of the CEAA to report the very high percentage of Opposition to the proposed Woodfibre LNG project, would not have adequately briefed the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in an appropriately fulsome, ethical and/or accurate manner.
Rather the CEAA Summary states the percentage of comments related to GHG’s [70%], almost none of the 83 comments of LNG Support mentioned GHG’s and most were 1 to a few lines in length, versus several hundred fulsome submissions of Opposition. Woodfibre presented a 20 page submission of support. Woodfibre is not the Public.
The Public Comment results create statistics, that clearly highlights overwhelming Public Opposition to the Woodfibre LNG project.
CEAA Summary of Analysis of GHG Emissions Comments during Public Process received Document: http://ceaa.gc.ca/050/document‐eng.cfm?document=109544 Comments Received can be reviewed at http://ceaa.gc.ca/050/documents‐eng.cfm?evaluation=80060&type=3 .
We are pleased to meet with you to discuss the significance of these issues to Howe Sound, to British Columbia and to Canada.
Thank you for your further consideration.
Sincerely,
Brenda Broughton, MA, RCC
Charter Chair, Howe Sound Community Forum, 2000‐2001 former 5 term mayor Village of Lions Bay, Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound, BC
604.306.6661 c 604.921.9229 h https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda‐broughton‐3572ba3b
3 PDF format attached: Copied To: Pam Goldsmith‐Jones, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonathan Wilkinson, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment Elizabeth May, MP
Squamish First Nation The Councils of the District of West Vancouver, The Island Municipality of Bowen Island, Town of Gibsons, The Village of Lions Bay, The District of Squamish, The Resort Municipality of Whistler, The Village of Pemberton, and The Islands Trust Regional Districts: Metro Vancouver Chair, The SCRD, The SLRD
My Sea to Sky Future of Howe Sound Dogwood Initiative David Suzuki Western Wilderness Committee Pembina Institute
Media
4 Principles For Cooperation
Howe Sound Community Forum
To provide an overview of the need, purpose and structure for cooperative efforts by interested local governments and First Nations in the Howe Sound area.
1. Statement of Purpose To provide a forum for local governments. Regional Districts and First Nations discussion to maintain and enhance the economic, environmental, cultural and social well being of the Howe Sound for the benefit of present and future generations.
2. Rationale (The Need) The Howe Sound Community Forum will enhance collective action among local governments, regional districts and First Nations by: • Providing a common forum for dialogue • Sharing knowledge and information to avoid duplication of effort and to enhance any single organization's capacity for action • Promoting the use of transparent processes that encourage awareness and involvement.
3. Scope (The area) The Howe Sound area Includes the marine waters and all the municipal, regional district, local trust committee and First Nation lands that drain into these waters, the surrounding airshed on the east side of the Strait of Georgia between Point Atkinson and Gower Point, and interested adjacent communities.
4. Common Vision The Howe Sound Community Forum envisions that communities within the Howe Sound area can be healthy, productive and sustainable by: • promoting compact and complete communities; • encouraging safe and livable communities; • encouraging an integrated transportation system; • preserving a healthy and natural environment; • nurturing cultural heritage • supporting sustainable use of resources; • fostering a vibrant and dynamic economy; • raising awareness about land use; and • ensuring the public is informed and encouraged to be active.
1 I P a g e September 25, 2013
671006 5. Shared Values
The Howe Sound Community Forum will involve the collective efforts of a wide variety of governments. First Nations, non-government organizations, the private sector, educational institutions and individuals to pursue the following values and objectives. The Forum shares the following values and objectives.
Value...Spirit of Sharing
Objective - The many interests and organizations in the Howe Sound can strengthen the effectiveness of programs by openly sharing information and knowledge.
Value... Action Orientation
Objective - The Howe Sound Community Forum will encourage groups to take actions that produce positive observable results and public benefit to communities.
Value...Efforts towards Sustainability
Objective - The Howe Sound Community Forum members recognize the need to effectively manage and maintain a balanced relationship between community development and the protection of unique biophysical and cultural qualities of the region.
Value.. The need for Cooperation
Objective -Governments, First Nations and organizations will be encouraged to work together.
Value...Stewardship
Objective - Voluntary action of individuals and organizations as a powerful and effective tool for achieving positive results Is an objective of the Forum.
Value... Transcending Jurisdictions
Objective - The Forum will encourage communities to work together for the greater good because territorial lines on a map mean nothing in terms of sustainability.
Value...Focus and Transparency
Objective - Forum member programs will encourage clear objectives and use accountable processes that are available to Howe Sound Community Forum members and the public.
Value... Respect for Diversity
Objective - It is recognized that while every member of the Howe Sound Community Forum may have a different focus or interest, they are encouraged to acknowledge a shared interest in the sustainability of Howe Sound.
2|Page September25,2013
671006 6. Structure (The Members)
A hosting community from the membership will act as the focal point and be responsible to coordinate meetings and agenda material.
The hosting community will rotate among the Howe Sound Community Forum members and meetings will be held annually, or more frequently, as requested by any member or as predicated by local issues.
Task forces or sub forums may be established to focus on specific projects.
Charter members of the Howe Sound Community Forum include elected representatives of:
District of Squamish Greater Vancouver Regional District
Resort Municipality of Whistler Squamish-Lillooet Regional District
Squamish Nation Village of Lions Bay
District of West Vancouver Sunshine Coast Regional District
Gambler Island Local Trust Committee Bowen Island Municipality
Village of Pemberton Town of Gibsons
7. Activities (Action and Results)
The Howe Sound Community Forum members are not expected to make decisions as a body and will achieve its objectives through activities that build on the talents, knowledge and actions of its individual members by:
• Facilitating information exchange about local or regional projects • Supporting members by sharing information, research and best practices • Apprise the public of topical and important matters that affect us all • Identifying areas of public policy that require attention and projects that deserve the support of the Forum members • Assessing progress through benchmark, monitoring, and program assessments; and • Promoting transparency and accessibility by the Forum members.
3|Page September25,2013 Therefore, all the parties of the Howe Sound Community Forum commit to respect the Principles for Cooperation
Approved by the District of Squamish this ^ day o^hjOlj. ^/l/^ .y/^^^ A/^k^y2\^ Rob Kirkham, Mayor
Approved by the Bowen Island Municipality this ^dayof/fe^^by. Adelaar, Mayor
Approved by the Squamish Nation this day of , by_ Ian Campbell, Chief
Approved by the Gambler Island Local Trust Committee this day of /IIHI. ^()i^h\i David Graham, Chair
Approved by Metro Vancouver this Z^davof^^ygeHHby Greg Moore, Chair
Approved by the Town of Gibsons this ^^^/A day ofJi^M ^/^/by ^ Wayne Rowe, Mayor
Approved by the Village of Lions Bay this ^ M l a y of fe^i?2o/^by
Approved by Squamish Lillooet Regional District thiis*s ^ day oi^^ «^/^b
Approved by the Sunshine Coast Regional Districtthis^ thi ^ davo
Garry Nohr, Chair
Approved by the Resort Municipality of Whistler this 0 /l^ncy Wilhelm-Morden, Mayor
Approved by the Village of Pemberton this ^ day of IAii^'l£]h_ by_ ^ Jord^a^turdy, Mayor
Approved by the District of West Vancouver this A day of iM, by ^72?^ Itchael Smith, Mayor 4 I P a g e September 25, K J 1 3
671006
Attention: The Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change The Honourable Hunter Tootoo, Minister of Fisheries The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport The Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence The Honourable Stephane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety
Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ministers,
This matter is of significant importance to the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Fisheries, the Minister of Transport the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Foreign Affairs with regard to COP21, and the Minister of Public Safety, therefore I request serious review of the letter that follows by each of the Ministers.
The announcement on Friday, March 18th, 2016 by The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change providing the environmental go forward to Woodfibre LNG, is of serious concern. Also, the Conditions that are provided by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, appear to lack specific and measurable criteria thus possibly compromising their application and enforcement. http://ceaa.gc.ca/050/document-eng.cfm?document=109540
1. Harm to herring spawn; the fact that Woodfibre will represent 7% of BC’s GHG emissions targets in 2050; and that the cooling intake system, already banned in California and elsewhere, 17,000 cubic metres per hour of warmed water will warm the waters of Howe Sound with output by the herring spawn; are points outlined in the article link below. This information has been well documented and submitted to both the BCEAO and CEAA process over the last two years. The concern is that the depth of consideration that staff may be providing may have been junior and/or perhaps involving with the proponent.
The mapping in the article attached and photos of the herring spawn are excellent in illuminating the real and serious concerns. Please click on the link for review. http://theecoreport.com/mckenna-made-the-wrong-call-on-woodfibre-lng/
2. The potential for serious risk to our urban population from LNG Supertanker Shipping is real. Please review the Howe Sound Bathymetry Map. Please open and review the narrow channels, understanding that there is population at risk on both sides of Howe Sound.
Only last week, on March 9th, in Seattle, Washington, a gas leak blew up what appears to be a city block damaging 36 businesses and injuring 9 Fire Fighters. The impact of an explosion of a 1000’ LNG Supertanker is almost unimaginable and falls to both the 2 Ministers of Transport and Defence for review, as it creates a potential and real shipping transport and terrorist threat to an important urban centre in BC. Seattle gas explosion March 9th, with 9 Firefighters injured
The threat of wind/weather events running the ship aground is real. The SIGTTO (International Supertanker Shipping Standards) states that when siting an LNG plant one must always think worst case scenario and never choose to site a plant in a narrow waterway with population centres along the shoreline and busy commercial and recreational marine traffic. Howe Sound is the southern most fjord in North America. The shipping route leads through narrow channels past inhabited islands and the City of Vancouver, a major port and population centre.
The Sandia National Labs hazard zones placed on the Howe Sound map have been confirmed by Sandia as accurate and therefore placing West Vancouver, Bowen Island and Lions Bay at serious risk.
This proposed shipping lane would not be allowed in the United States. We must not allow unacceptable safety standards here.
3. Meeting our COP21 targets begins today and everyday with pragmatical decisions, that represent ‘Real Change’ by really changing direction.
4. The people of Howe Sound have worked for decades on the environmental clean-up of Howe Sound, giving birth to the amazingly healthy Howe Sound with dolphins, harbour seals, whales, and now salmon. The herring spawn is a significant attractant. Clean up accomplishments include : A) Clean up of the Britannia Mine Jane Basin with Federal funding. This area was the largest point source of pollution in North America, creating a ‘dead sea’ that is now coming to life; B) Prevention of bleach dumping at Port Mellon, now called Howe Sound Pulp and Paper and overhaul technological change leading to pollution reduction ~ removal of odour; C) Stream Keepers wrapping the creosote pilings so that herring could spawn again; D) Following decades of complete loss of salmon and closure of the Vancouver Fishing Derby in Howe Sound about circa the 1970’s, there is salmon again in HoweSound including about 300,000 pink salmon being caught in circa 2013/2014. E) Closure of Woodfibre Pulp and Paper, has resulted in a return to health of the ecosystem and herring spawn in Howe Sound at Woodfibre. F) Howe Sound Divers, obtained Underwater Park status in Helkett Bay for historically old Glass Sea Sponges, and now find Glass Sea Sponges in many locations throughout Howe Sound. G) The Howe Sound Community Forum of Elected Officials and the Squamish First Nation, led to the signing of the Priniciples For Cooperation you may wish to review, signed in 2002 and revised and signed in 2014. Please see attachment ‘Howe Sound Signed Principles for Cooperation’, a guiding document
3 for Howe Sound’s planning.
5. Howe Sound is precious…it is not a port or harbour, but a sanctuary that attracts the World. If you have not been along the Sea to Sky Corridor Highway [the number 1 Scenic Highway in the World], I implore you to do so.
It is profoundly wrong to provide the go ahead for Woodfibre LNG.
My hope is that the Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Fisheries and the Minister of Defence, will provide the appropriate review of this project and in doing so will understand that it must Not proceed.
LNG is a class A Hazard industry proposed for the wrong location. It is irresponsible to process, store and transport such highly hazardous materials so close to a highly inhabited area.
I urge you to reconsider and responsibly Say NO to Woodfibre LNG as this project is both dangerous and destructive to Howe Sound water ecosystem and surrounding population.
Of the 1,300 CEAA Comments that include, 100 Speakers at the Public Meetings, plus a Petition of Opposition with 8,600 signatures, resulting in about 10,000 Feedback responses received, the comments are overwhelming with 99% OPPOSED to Woodfibre LNG [9,800 Opposed responses], and 1% in Support [90 Support responses] .
The CEAA noted that the Prime Minister’s comment that, " Governments grant permits, communities grant permission”. The Howe Sound community overwhelmingly did not grant permission. Last evening, I have reviewed each of the CEAA individual submissions listed on the CEAA website, about 11 responses were requests for time extension, funding or additions to the EA process. The comments of opposition were substantive, science based and provided significant rationale to not proceed. The people who are opposed are bright, thoughtful, research oriented, and thus knowledgeable.
The apparent failure of the CEAA to report the very high percentage of Opposition to the proposed Woodfibre LNG project, would not have adequately briefed the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in an appropriately fulsome, ethical and/or accurate manner.
Rather the CEAA Summary states the percentage of comments related to GHG’s [70%], almost none of the 83 comments of LNG Support mentioned GHG’s and most were 1 to a few lines in length, versus several hundred fulsome submissions of Opposition. Woodfibre presented a 20 page submission of support. Woodfibre is not the Public.
The Public Comment results create statistics, that clearly highlights overwhelming Public Opposition to the Woodfibre LNG project.
4
CEAA Summary of Analysis of GHG Emissions Comments during Public Process received Document: http://ceaa.gc.ca/050/document-eng.cfm?document=109544 Comments Received can be reviewed at http://ceaa.gc.ca/050/documents- eng.cfm?evaluation=80060&type=3 .
We are pleased to meet with you to discuss the significance of these issues to Howe Sound, to British Columbia and to Canada.
Thank you for your further consideration.
Sincerely,
Brenda Broughton, MA, RCC
Charter Chair, Howe Sound Community Forum, 2000-2001 former 5 term mayor Village of Lions Bay, Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound, BC
604.306.6661 c 604.921.9229 h https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-broughton-3572ba3b
Copied To: Pam Goldsmith-Jones, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonathan Wilkinson, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment Elizabeth May, MP
Squamish First Nation The Councils of the District of West Vancouver, The Island Municipality of Bowen Island, Town of Gibsons, The Village of Lions Bay, The District of Squamish, The Resort Municipality of Whistler, The Village of Pemberton, and The Islands Trust Regional Districts: Metro Vancouver Chair, The SCRD, The SLRD
My Sea to Sky Future of Howe Sound Dogwood Initiative David Suzuki Western Wilderness Committee Pembina Institute
Media